Jersey Shore Fishing: Small stripers provide most of action

It was a guessing game as to what would happen after the weekend's strong SW winds, and it turned out that small stripers provided most of the action.

That was certainly the case for the Atlantic Highlands party boats. The Sea Hunter reported most of the bass ranged from 16 to 23 inches, with just a few keepers mixed in. Jigs were best in the fast drift.

Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen said there was a 3.9-knot drift that was basically trolling speed. There was lots of bird life, and at one point they drifted though a school of bunkers right to the beach without getting a bite. A few keepers were boated before they went in.

At Belmar, the Golden Eagle reported lots of fish and bait readings, but they were hard to hook under the windy conditions. Miss Belmar Princess got into stripers on the surface that wouldn't hit. They ended up with a few keeper bass and a couple of blues.

The Queen Mary from Point Pleasant had good striper action with the smaller fish. Gold and silver A47 and 67 jigs worked best. They will sail their Tuesday Marathon at 6:30, but the regular Wednesday trip at 7:30 may be more comfortable.

Vinnie D'Anton fished the Manasquan surf early, and came up with a 15-inch striper and a fluke on a Tsunami Sand Eel.